Microsoft states the obvious…

This tickled me so I had to copy it here. I read it and sat here chuckling to myself as an executive manages the art of stating the bleedin’ obvious:

Speaking at Microsoft’s Professional Developer Conference (PDC) in Los Angeles, senior vice president for Windows Steven Sinofsky conceded that Vista had not gone as well as the company hoped, and said things would be different with Windows 7.

Yes, I imagine that’s one way of putting it. In the UK trade press last year DSG (PC World et al) attribute a loss of millions to poor sales of Vista, most corporates wouldn’t – still won’t – touch it with a bargepole and there is almost no chance it will ever go on my computer due to all the incompatibilities and sound issues. Vista was a tinker to far and, for many technies and computer companies is viewed as Windows ME revisited. If you remember it, you know what I mean, if you don’t, that’s because it was so bad they buried it…

Anyway, here’s the ‘No ****, Sherlock‘ moment:

“The ecosystem wasn’t as ready for the launch of Vista as we would have liked. Drivers weren’t there, application compatibility wasn’t there,” he admitted.

Taken as a new computers, for web browsing and the odd letter it’s great. My wife loves it. For everyone else, I could write reams on the complete mess they made of it.

The ecosystem wasn’t as ready for the launch: I have no idea what that is supposed to mean unless it’s the fact it is so bloated and overly protective that it needs massively memory and graphics capability to do so much as move an open window… ‘At you sure you want to move Solitaire to read your email? Yes, I’m sure. Sorry, you don’t have permission to do that… What the…’

Application compatibily: for instance, included numerous games, utilities and packages – including several of Microsoft’s. Even Microsoft Office had to be patched and some of Microsoft’s own games won’t even install.

Drivers weren’t there: A year after launch forums were still flooded with people complaining to Creative Labs over the lack of support and working drivers. Got the link and copy somewhere but basically, in a display of awe-inspiring arrogance, they – Microsoft – basically blanked all the peripheral companies, and said, this is how it is, deal with it. Essentially, to wrap the users in cotton wool, anything and everything under the hood needs explicit permission, with a protection layer on top. One that ‘legacy’ items simply could not code around.

I’m not a Microsoft knocker myself, although I have the odd laugh at their expense, so to speak, but really, Vista was a mistake, and they know it. Let’s hope they learn from their mistake with Windows 7.